Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Project 7 Peppermint Vanilla Mints - Jo Ann Fabrics: Cherry Hill, NJ

Project 7 Peppermint Vanilla Mints - Jo Ann Fabrics: Cherry Hill, NJ

I've seen this brand mentioned on a few foodie blogs, and I always thought the flavor selection and packaging were really cool!(Plus the logo reminds me of Dr. Who.) I've been searching fancy grocery stores, like Whole Foods, trying to find a few flavors to review, but I couldn't find it anywhere. I needed some new palette knives, so I stopped at Jo Ann Fabrics on my way home, and I saw this (and another of their items I'll be reviewing in the new year) in the impulse-buy area. Really? Of all places, the craft store? When did Jo Ann's get so hip and cool?

I grabbed a package of each of the items I saw and headed home, since this is minty I thought I'd knock out this review while candy canes are still in season.

To be honest, since this is such a shiny and metallic product, photographing it was a nightmare. I tried my best, but you have to trust me when I say the packaging looks a lot better in person. The typeface choices are consistent and it has that playful childlike scribble text, without looking like it's trying too hard. Everything from the photo of the vanilla peppermint ice cream to the company information on the back is cohesive and well thought out, I really love the design and overall identity for this brand. It's just so...cool. Maybe it's because I am a food blogger, or a graphic designer, but I just love this little packet design.

With that being said, the fact that these mints are in a tiny resealable plastic bag is pretty unique, I've never bought an item like this in a plastic bag before, and while I like the idea, I do wish it were in some way recyclable. This brand has a great message, which is for every product they sell money goes towards 7 different areas of need, but I feel like that message could be enhanced even more if the packaging were somehow more eco-friendly. (Then again I love recycling everything I can.)

Inside the packet are little compressed mints, they have the tick marked logo, (which still reminds me of Doctor Who) and they smell sweet and minty. The minty aroma is somewhere between a candy cane, and a peppermint Altoid. It's strong, without being too strong, and you can definitely detect a sweet vanilla aroma.

I popped a little mint into my mouth, and it had a strong peppermint flavoring, no where near as sinus clearing as an Altoid, but the minty-power will definitely help to freshen your breath after eating, while the sweet vanilla aspect slightly mellows the strong peppermint flavoring. If you like Altoids, you'll like this. It has a smoother, more compressed, candy texture, so it's not as chalky as other breath mints on the market, and even though it uses artificial sweeteners (Sorbitol & Xylitol), I liked this mint a lot! These are going right into the purse so I can have minty breath on the go. If you like having mints on hand to ensure fresh breath, give these a try! Personally, I am more of a mint chewing gum after my meal kind of girl, so I am not sure if I'd repurchase this exact item, but I am excited to try some of the fancy chewing gums from this brand. Maybe they'll replace my go-to Dentyne Ice.